Beauty Philosophy: For me, beauty is more internal than anything. I think it’s important to be confident, happy, at peace with yourself. And to be true to who you are. All this reflects on the outside. I don’t think there is any one thing that makes me feel beautiful. For me, feeling blissful is feeling beautiful. That comes from spending time with the people I love, being one with nature or listening to some really soulful music.

Beauty Must-Haves: Kohl and lip balm go with me wherever I go. My favourites are Maybelline Lip Smooth Color & Care Balm and Maybelline Colossal Kajal. A bronzer is also always in my kit. For my skin, I stick to the tried and tested cleanse-tone-moisturise routine. And, of course, I put on sunscreen before stepping out. After a shoot or a night out, I use Johnson’s Baby Skincare Wipes. They’re gentle on the skin and remove waterproof mascara too.

First Brush with Beauty: As a child, I remember watching my mother with great [curiosity] every time she would put on her make-up (especially on her eyes) before going out. So one day I asked her to do up my eyes, too. Since then, eyeliner and kohl have been my best friends.

Signature Look: Natural make-up with just a little colour on the cheeks, smoky eyes and voluminous hair—never fails!

Fitness Files: My routine involves light weight training three times a week. For the song ‘Tumhi Ho Bandhu’ in Cocktail, I was required to dance, and that’s when I started training in dance for the first time. I took a bunch of classes, from Western free-style to Bharata Natyam, a little folk and Kathak. The aim was to get my body familiar with various dance forms and to increase my flexibility and stamina. I fell in love with Kathak—it is a beautiful dance form, very fluid and graceful. Idecided then that I wanted to continue to learn Kathak and get better at it. It’s also a good form of cardio for me—definitely more fun than walking on a treadmill.

Diet Discipline: I can’t function without a good breakfast, so a platter of fruit along with a cup of tea, followed by eggs and brown bread, is essential. Lunch is usually a large plate of rice—I love rice—dal, chicken curry and vegetables. At teatime, I eat a sandwich, with either a chicken or cheese and tomato filling. I make sure dinner is my lightest meal of the day, and it usually includes some protein and vegetables or salad.

Guilty Indulgence: Chocolate and chips! Dieting is really not for me, but eating healthy happens by default when I’m home because my mother is a health freak and makes sure there’s never junk food in the house. But when I eat out, I end up indulging quite a bit.

Travel Tips: Take along lots of water, moisturiser and lip balm as flights tend to dehydrate your body and dry out your skin. And sleep, of course: it’s the best time for me to catch up on it. When I’m travelling, I have a little make-up kit with all the essentials in it—liquid concealer, mascara, kohl, a few basic eyeshadows, an eyelash curler, blush, lip balm and a nude lip colour, so I’m set for anything.

Spa Secrets: I am not a big spa addict and when I travel, it’s either for a shoot where we have no time to look around, or on holiday, when I prefer to spend time exploring the city. But I had the most blissful full-body Kerala massage at The Leela in Bangalore. And I’ve also tried the signature Landaa body massage at the spa at Four Seasons Landaa Giraavaru, Maldives—it was amazing.

Heaven Scent: Chanel Chance is my signature fragrance. I do like trying different fragrances, but somehow I always find myself going back to it. I use Elizabeth Arden’s Fifth Avenue for a change every now and then.